Accounting system booklets



June 21, 1966 w. TILTON, JR 3,257,127

ACCOUNTING SYSTEM BOOKLETS Original Filed June 6, 1963 l2 as 1 '4 lH/n' Q23 INVENTOR WE BSTER TlLTON,Jr

United States Patent 2 Claims. '(Cl. 281.-31)

This application is a division of my copending application serial No. 285,949, filed June 6, 1963, which in turn a is a continuation-impart of my earlier, also copending application Serial No. 264,877, filed March 13, 1963, now

Patent No. 3,201,146.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in accounting systems, and in particular the invention concerns itself with recording of expenses and maintenance of expense records for purposes of income tax returns.

My aforementioned earlier application Serial No. 264,-

H 877 discloses an accounting booklet having front and back covers with a set of leaves bound t-herebetween, a pocket hinged to the back cover and coacting means on the front cover and pocket for fastening the same together and retaining the booklet in a closed position. The present invention provides a structural improvement of the fastening means, including a locking feature which was not available in the booklet according to the aforementioned earlier application Serial No. 264,877.

With this principal object in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent from the following disclosure, the invention will be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters designate like parts and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved accounting booklet, showing the same in an open position;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view thereof in the closed position;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the covers and the pocket of the booklet are formed; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG- URE 2.

- Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the improved booklet is designated generally by the reference numeral .10 and comprises front and rear covers 11,

12 and a set of intermediate leaves 13 which are stapled or otherwise bound there-between, as in my aforemenitoned application Serial No. 264,877. The outer side edge 14 of the rear cover 12 has hinged thereto a pocket 15 for receipts, or the like, which pocket may be folded against the inner surface of the rear cover while the booklet is open for entering data therein, and which may also be folded against the outer surface of the front cover 11 as shown in FIGURE 2 when the booklet is closed.

Conveniently, the covers 1|1, 12 and the pocket 15 may be formed integrally from a single blank 16 shown in FIGURE 3, the pocket consisting of a pair of walls 17, 18 which are folded upon each other along the fold line 19 with the wall 17 having a folding connection to the rear cover 12 at the edge 14 of the latter. The upper and lower edges of the wall 17 are provided with flaps 20 which are folded along the lines 21 upon the wall 18 after the wall 18 is folded upon the wall 17 to form the pocket, suitable adhesive securing the flaps 20 to the wall 18, as will be clearly apparent. The fold line between the covers 11, 12 is indicated at 22 and it will be observed that the pocket wall '18 is formed with a finger notch 23 to facilitate access to the inside of the pocket.

The fastening means for holding the booklet in its closed position with the pocket 15 folded upon the outer surface of the front cover I I (as shown in FIGURE 2) comprise a pair of oblique slits 24 formed in the cover 11, in which slits the two corner portions 15 of the pocket may be inserted. In addition, the cover 11 is formed with a U-shaped cut 25 which defines a tongue 26 for insertion inside the pocket 15 through a transverse slot 27 formed in the wall 17 of the pocket, as is best shown in FIGURE 4. The tongue 26, of course, is connected to the covers I l, 12 at the fold line 22. The arrangement of the slits 24, tongue 26 and slot 27 is substantially the same as in my aforementioned application Serial No. 264,877, but the present invention involves the additional provision of a locking tab 28 which is formed by a substantially semicircular cut in the tongue 26 as shown in FIGURES.

While the tongue .26 extends in a direction away from the fold line 22, the locking tab 28 extends in the opposite direction, that is, toward the fold line 22, and after the tongue 26 has been inserted into the pocket 15 through the slot 27, the tab 28 is pressed, as for example with the point of a pencil, so that it slips in behind the portion 17' of the pocket wall '17 as shown in FIGURE 4, the wall portion 17 being that between the slot 27 and the fold line 19. In this manner the tab 28 effectively locks the tongue '26 in the pocket 15 and prevents the tongue from being withdrawn through the slot 27. If it is subsequently desired to open the booklet, it is rolled or curved in the hands so as to eifect some translatory movement between the covers, leaves and pocket, which slides the tongue 26 further inwardly through the slot 27 and permits the looking tab 28 to slip out from behind the pocket wall portion -17', with the result that the tongue 26 may then be withdrawn from the slot to facilitate opening of the booklet.

While in the [foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an accounting system, a booklethaving front and back covers and a set of leaves bound therebetween, each of said covers having an inner edge where said leaves are bound, an outer edge opposite from said inner edge, and a pair of side edges spaced apart by a longitudinal dimension of the cover, a pocket integrally hinged to the outer edge of the back cover and superposed on the front cover when the booklet is closed, said pocket having a pair of free side edges and a free outer-edge and being open in the direction of the outer edge of said back cover, the pocket being constituted by inner and outer pocket forming walls secured together along the side and outer edges of the pocket, said side edges of the pocket being spaced apart by a longitudinal dimension of the pocket which is less than said longitudinal dimension of said covers and the side edges of the pocket being spaced longitudinally inwardly tfrom the side edges of the covers so that side edge portions of the front cover project longitudinally outwardly beyond the side edges of the pocket when the pocket is superposed on the front cover in the closed position of the booklet, said frontcover being provided with a pair of diagonal slits in corner portions of the front cover defined by its inner and side edges, a pair of corner portions of said pocket defined by its inner and side edges being removably inserted in said slits, a tongue struck out from said front cover adjacent its inner edge and centrally between its side edges, said tongue overlying said pocket and the outer wall of the pocket being formed with a slit through which the tongue is removably inserted into the pocket, said corner portions of the pocket inserted in said pair of slits and said'tongue inserted in the pocket slit coacting to releasably retain said pocket in its superposed position on the front cover of the booklet when the latter is closed, and a locking tab struck out from said tongue in a direction opposite to that in which the tongue is struck out from said front cover, said locking tab being disposed in said pocket and oifset from said pocket slit whereby to prevent the tongue from being withdrawn from the pocket slit.

2. A booklet having front and back covers and a set of leaves bound therebetween, each of said covers having an inner edge where said leaves are bound and an outer edge opposite from said inner edge, a pocket integrally hinged to the outer edge of the back cover and superposed on the front cover when the booklet is closed, said pocket being constituted by inner and outer pocket forming walls secured together and being open in the direction of the outer edge of said back cover, a tongue struck out from said front cover adjacent its inner edge, said tongue overlying said pocket and extending in T1116 direction of the outer edge of the front cover from which it is struck out, said outer wall of said pocket being formed with a slit through which said tongue is removably inserted into the pocket to releasably retain the pocket in its superposed position on the front cover when the booklet is closed, and a locking tab struck out from said tongue in a direction opposite to that in which the tongue is struck out from said front cover, said locking tab being disposed between said inner and outer walls of said pocket and offset from said slit whereby to prevent the tongue from being withdrawn from the slit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 164,099 6/ 1875 lMoore 229-39 288,255 ll/1883 Munson 22939 304,845 9/1884 MOSS.

2,316,362 4/ 1943 Poe 22935 X JOSEPH R. LECLAI R, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTO N, Examiner.

D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, A BOOKLET HAVING FRONT AND BACK COVERS AND A SET OF LEAVES BOUND THEREBETWEEN, EACH OF SAID COVERS HAVING AN INNER EDGE WHERE SAID LEAVES ARE BOUND, AN OUTER EDGE OPPOSITE FROM SAID INNER EDGE, AND A PAIR OF SIDE EDGES SPACED APART BY A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION OF THE COVER, A POCKET INTEGRALLY HINGED TO THE OUTER EDGE OF THE BACK COVER AND SUPERPOSED ON THE FRONT COVER WHEN THE BOOKLET IS CLOSED, SAID POCKET HAVING A PAIR OF FREE SIDE EDGES AND A FREE OUTER EDGE AND BEING OPEN IN THE DIRECTION OF THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID BACK COVER, THE POCKET BEING CONSTITUTED BY INNER AND OUTER POCKET FORMING WALLS SECURED TOGETHER ALONG THE SIDE AND OUTER EDGES OF THE POCKET, SAID SIDE EDGES OF THE POCKET BEING SPACED APART BY A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION OF THE POCKET WHICH IS LESS THAN SAID LONGIDUDIANAL DIMENSION OF SAID COVERS AND THE SIDE EDGE OF THE POCKET BEING SPACED LONGITUDINALLY INWARDLY FROM THE SIDE EDGES OF THE COVERS SO THAT SIDE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE FRONT COVER PROJECT LONGITUDINALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE SIDE EDGES OF THE POCKET WHEN THE POCKET IS SUPERPOSED ON THE FRONT COVER IN THE CLOSED POSITION OF THE BOOKLET, SAID FRONT COVER BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF DIAGONAL SLITS IN CORNER PORTIONS OF THE FRONT COVER DEFINED BY ITS INNER AND SIDE EDGES, A PAIR OF CORNER PORTIONS OF SAID POCKET DEFINED BY ITS INNER AND SIDE EDGES BEING REMOVABLY INSERTED IN SAID SLITS, A TONGUE STRUCK OUT FROM SAID FRONT COVER ADJACENT ITS INNER EDGE AND CENTRALLY BETWEEN ITS SIDE EDGES, SAID TONGUE OVERLYING SAID POCKET AND THE OUTER WALL OF THE POCKET BEING FORMED WITH A SALIT THROUGH WICH THE TONGUE IS REMOVABLY INSERTED INTO THE POCKET, SAID CORNER PORTIONS OF THE POCKET INSERTED IN SAID PAIR OF SLITS AND SAID TONGUE INSERTED IN THE POCKET SLIT COACTING TOE RELEASABLY RETIN SAID POCKET IN ITS SUPERPOSED POSITION ON THE FRONT COVER OF THE BOOKLET WHEN THE LATTER IS CLOSED, AD A LOCKING TAB STRUCK OUT FROM SAID TONGUE IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT IN WHICH THE TONGUE IS STRUCK OUT FROM SAID FRONT COVER, SAID LOCKING TAB BEING DISPOSED IN SAID POCKET AND OFFSET FROM SAID POCKET SLIT WHEREBY TO PREVENT THE TONGUE FROM BEING WITHDRAWN FROM THE POCKET SLIT. 